Phillies Pregame Roundup

–Carlos Ruiz was 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly in extended spring today as a DH. He’ll play with Class A Clearwater tomorrow and catch Roy Oswalt. It’s also dollar beer night at Bright House Field.

— Since April 30, opposing bullpens have posted a 0.77 ERA in 35 innings of work against the Phillies. They’ve allowed just 22 hits and struck out 32 batters. That’s a span of 10 games.

— The reason for that, Charlie Manuel says: “We don’t have the offense that we used to have. We don’t have the depth in our offense right now. We get Utley back, that’s definitely going to help us some. But we don’t have the offense we used to.”

— Joe Blanton says his elbow is still “cranky.” He threw a bullpen today and said that it hadn’t gotten any worse, which he considered a good sign. Blanton did describe the bullpen session as “light” though, noting that he wasn’t throwing particularly hard.

— Rich Dubee said he’s going to let Blanton be the judge of how ready he is to pitch. Asked if Blanton was definitely going to start Saturday’s game in Atlanta, Dubee hedged his answer just slightly. “At this moment he is,” Dubee said. “That could change.”

— If Blanton can’t go, it’ll be either Vance Worley or Kyle Kendrick.

— Blanton’s velocity has been down about 1-2 mph in his past few starts, something Dubee attributes to Blanton not throwing at 100 percent because he’s worried about the elbow.

— Chase Utley did not play in today’s game for Clearwater, but it was a scheduled day off. There haven’t been any health-related setbacks that we’re aware of.

— Cliff Lee goes for the Phillies tonight. In Lee’s past three starts, the Phils have mustered exactly one run.

— Opposing Lee will be Ricky Nolasco. He threw a complete game, five-hitter against the Phillies last season and has a career mark of 6-3 with a 3.78 ERA against them.

— Asked about the Phillies’ lackluster offense as compared to the rest of the league, which has also seen a sharp decline in hitting, Manuel wasn’t in the mood for excuses. “I hear people say everybody in the league’s got that problem, but that doesn’t mean we have to have that problem,” Manuel said. “I say that all the time when we’re in the meetings. That’s like saying if somebody jumps off a bridge, we’re going to jump off with them. The hell with that.”

— Phillies minor leaguer Kevin Frandsen (AAA) was suspended for 50 games after he tested positive for Ritalinic Acid.

Guidelines: You share in the delawareonline.com community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse.

We're using Facebook Comments on articles to create a more civil environment for conversation. To find out more, please visit the FAQ.